89 Print Marketing Statistics 2024: Ad Spending, Market Size, and More

Print marketing may seem like a thing of the past in our digital age, but the numbers tell a different story. 

While it’s true that online advertising has taken the world by storm, print ads still have a lot to offer. 

Studies show that print materials tend to have higher response rates and are more trusted by consumers than their digital counterparts. Print ads have also proven to be more memorable than digital ones. 

So, while having a strong digital marketing strategy is important, don’t count out the power of print. The numbers don’t lie – print marketing is still a force to be reckoned with in advertising. 

Key Print Marketing Statistics 

• Global print advertising expenditure is projected to reach $34.28 billion by 2024.
• Print and direct mail marketing has a 9% customer response rate compared to 1% or less for other digital channels.
• Combining print and digital ads makes online campaigns 400% more effective.
• Households in the United States get an average of 454 pieces of marketing mail annually.
• 56% of Americans surveyed consider print marketing the most trustworthy form of marketing.
• 70% of households with incomes above $100,000 read newspapers.
• Print marketing has a recall rate 70-80% higher than digital advertising.
• 82% of consumers trust print ads the most for purchase decisions.
• 61% of readers trust newspaper ads compared to 42% for online ads.
• Physical print ads require 21% less cognitive effort to read and remember than digital ads.
• People are 70% more likely to remember businesses from print ads than online ads.
• Consumers consider newspapers to be the most effective medium for highlighting sales.

Latest Print Marketing Statistics And Facts

1. According to forecasts, global print advertising expenditure is projected to reach $34.28 billion by 2024. (source)

2. 56% of Americans surveyed consider print marketing the most trustworthy form of marketing. (source)

3. Print marketing has a 70-80% recall rate higher than digital advertising. (source)

4. Consumers keep print ads for an average of 17 days, suggesting a lasting influence on purchasing decisions. (source)

5. Customized print advertisements tailored for individual recipients see a 135% increase in response rates. (source)

6. The U.S. spends the largest amount on print ads, estimated to spend up to $9.6 billion in 2024. (source)

7. Recipients of print advertising purchase 28% more items and spend 28% more than non-recipients. (source)

8. 95% of people under 25 read magazines. (source)

9. 82% of consumers trust print ads the most for purchase decisions. (source)

10. Print readers typically spend 20 minutes or more with their publication, engaging with more content. (source)

11. According to estimates, the global print advertising audience will grow to approximately 3.1 billion readers by 2029. (source)

12. Print marketing materials have a stronger emotional impact on consumers. (source)

13. Print ads generate a 20% higher motivation response, especially if they appeal to multiple senses. (source)

14. Despite economic challenges, 60 new print magazines were launched in the U.S. in 2020, indicating continued demand. (source)

15. Combining print and digital ads makes online campaigns 400% more effective. (source)

16. Ad spending in the United Kingdom’s Print Advertising market is expected to reach $1.30 billion by 2024. (source)

17. Using print ads alongside email marketing leads to a 49% surge in sales and a 125% boost in inquiries. (source)

18. A survey found that 75% of Millennials feel special receiving personal mail. (source)

19. 70% of Americans prefer to read printed mail. (source)

20. The UK Print Advertising market is expected to reach 24.2 million readers by 2029. (source)

21. The average ad spend per reader in the UK Newspaper Advertising market will be approximately $62 in 2024. (source)

22. Consumers who receive print mail promoting online sites spend 13% more than those who only receive digital information. (source)

23. The global print-on-demand market was valued at $7.24 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $65.37 billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 27.7% from 2024 to 2032. (source)

24. 44% of customers visit a brand’s website after receiving direct mail or print marketing. (source)

25. Fundera’s research indicates that 70% of consumers find direct mail more personal than online interactions. (source)

26. Ad spending in Germany’s print advertising sector is expected to reach $2.97 billion by 2024. (source)

27. Close attention to print ads has more than doubled from 23% in 2009-10 to 49% in 2020. (source)

28. 64% of recipients prefer scanning for useful info in the mail over email. (source)

29. 84% of Millennials dedicate time to perusing their physical mail. (source)

30. Nearly 80% of shoppers respond to printed direct mail ads, while only 45% take action on electronic ads. (source)

31. 70% of households with incomes above $100,000 read newspapers. (source) 

32. A study by the American Press Institute found that 74% of 16- to 40-year-olds get news from traditional sources, including print newspapers, weekly. (source)

33. Placing ads in niche magazines or local newspapers allows businesses to target specific demographics and interests effectively. (source)

34. Traditional ad spending across formats like newspapers, television, and outdoor advertising is projected to drop by 20.7% globally. (source)

35. China’s Print Advertising market is expected to reach $1.96 billion in ad spending in 2024. (source)

36. The number of readers in China’s Print Advertising market is expected to reach 600 million by 2029. (source)

37. China’s Print Advertising market is shifting towards digital integration, focusing on interactive and data-driven campaigns. (source)

Direct Mail Marketing Statistics 

38. Households in the United States get an average of 454 pieces of marketing mail annually. (source)

39. Due to direct mail advertising, 39% of customers try a business for the first time. (source)

40. 48% of people keep direct mail for future reference. (source)

41. Oversized envelopes have the highest direct mail response rate, while postcards have the second-highest at 5.7%, and letter-sized envelopes follow at 4.3%. (source)

42. Direct mail campaigns are 27% more likely to achieve top-tier sales performance and 40% more likely to attain top-level acquisition rates. (source)

43. A significant portion of each generation would feel disappointed if they stopped receiving physical mail. 57% of boomers, 45% of Gen X, 41% of millennials, and 37% of Gen Z. (source)

44. According to the DMA Response Rate Report (2018), direct mail outperforms all digital channels by 600%. (source)

45. 62% of consumers report that direct mail has prompted them to take action, with 64% attributing this to an offer or promotion. (source)

46. The DMA Response Rate Report states that 70% of consumers prefer traditional mail for unsolicited offers. (source)

47. According to a Winterbury Group 2022 Report, spending on direct mail averages between $100 and $550 per person. (source)

48. Every $167 spent on direct mail in the U.S. generates $2,095 in sales, a 1,255% return. (source)

49. Direct mail accelerates the purchase decision process. Typically, purchase decisions take over a week, and over a third take over a month. However, with direct mail, 73% of purchase decisions are made in just over a day. (source)

50. The most frequently used direct mail formats by marketers in the US include newsletters and postcards (66%), self-mailers (56%), catalogs (48%), and packages (45%). (source)

51. Combining digital and direct mail boosts response rates by 63%, website visits by 68%, and leads by 53%. (source)

52. Direct mail achieves the highest ROI at 112% compared to other mediums. SMS (102%), email (93%), paid search (88%), social media advertising (81%), and digital display advertising (79%). (source)

Newspaper Advertising Statistics 

53. The global Newspaper Advertising market is expected to decline by 5.24% from 2024 to 2029, with an estimated market value of $25.48 billion in 2029. (source)

54. A significant majority of newspaper readers (91%) say they take some form of action after viewing inserts. (source)

55. The Newspaper Advertising market is the largest sector in the global Print Ad market. It is estimated to reach a market volume of $23.57 billion by 2024. (source)

56. In 2024, the projected expenditure on newspaper advertisements per reader is estimated to be approximately $18.95 on average. (source)

57. In the past 30 days, 79% of newspaper readers have acted in response to an advertisement they saw in the paper. (source)

58. A substantial 82% of consumers utilize the print coupons they receive through newspapers. (source)

59. Consumers consider newspapers the most effective medium for highlighting sales. (source)

60. Newspaper advertising is the largest segment in the UK print ad market, accounting for US$0.91 billion in 2024. (source)

61. In 2022, the leading advertising media were the Internet ($14.2 billion), Television ($3.3 billion), Radio ($1.1 billion), and Newspapers ($950 million). (source)

62. Newspaper Advertising is the largest segment in print marketing in China, with a market volume of $1.59 billion in 2024. (source) 

63. The average ad spend per reader in China’s Newspaper Advertising sector will be approximately $6.64 in 2024. (source)

64. In 2018, the U.S. had an estimated daily print and digital newspaper circulation of 28.6 million on weekdays and 30.8 million on Sundays, with the average reader spending about 12 minutes per day reading the newspaper. (source)

Print Vs. Digital Advertising Statistics 

65. Physical print ads require 21% less cognitive effort to read and remember than digital ads. (source)

66. Over 90% of consumers find print ads easier to read than digital ones. (source)

67. As of 2019, 33% of Millennials use ad blockers, but 62% of people read paper ads instead of discarding them. (source)

68. Print and direct mail marketing has a 9% customer response rate compared to 1% or less for other digital channels. (source)

69. 61% of readers trust newspaper ads compared to 42% for online ads. (source)

70. In 2019, Instagram had more users (113.3 million) than print readers (112.7 million). (source)

71. People are 70% more likely to remember businesses from print ads than online ads.  (source)

72. Paid search ads can boost brand awareness by 80%. (source)

73. By 2020, 50% of the advertising budget was projected to be spent online, matching traditional market spend globally. (source)

74.  Video ads have a 73% higher click rate than display banners. (source)

75. According to BannerSnack, 54% of users don’t click on ads due to distrust, and 33% find display ads intolerable. (source)

76. 70% of internet users prefer getting product information through content over traditional ads. (source)

77. Accenture reported a 20% dip in global offline commerce revenue by 2021, with the U.S. B2B Commerce market reaching $1.2 trillion.  (source)

78. Approximately 45% of global shoppers buy online and pick up in-store. (source)

79. Print is preferred for face-to-face interactions like trade shows.  (source)

80. Up to 90% of Direct Mail is opened, compared to only 20-30% of emails. (source)

81. 47% of customers use ad-blocking technology online. (source)

82. 91% of consumers agree that print and paper are sustainable when responsibly produced, used, and recycled. (source)

83. 88% of magazine readers in the UK prefer print. (source)

Concerns Of Print Marketing Statistics 

84. Marketers identify high costs (51%), limited reach (32%), distribution logistics (31%), difficulty targeting audience segments (31%), and difficulty measuring ROI (28%) as major challenges with print materials. (source)

85. GroupM forecasts that newspaper ad revenue will halve within five years, dropping to $5.5 billion from over $25 billion in 2012. (source)

86. Magazine ad revenues are also expected to decline to $6.6 billion by 2024 from $20.6 billion in 2012 and $12.1 billion this year. (source)

87. The global print advertising sector is transitioning towards digital platforms, affecting traditional print media revenues and approaches. (source)

88. Advertising revenue in the printed marketing industry is projected to fall to $40 million in 2023 and $35 million in 2025. Newspaper ad revenue will decrease from $30 million to $24 million, and magazine marketing expenditure will drop from $13 million to $10 million by 2025. (source)

89. Daily newspaper readership has fallen from about 63.3 million in 1984 to under 28.5 million in 2018. Sunday circulation peaked at 62.6 million in 1993 and dropped to 30.8 million in 2018. (source)

Conclusion 

It is clear that print marketing still holds a significant place in the world of advertising. Despite the rise of digital marketing, print ads in newspapers, magazines, and direct mail campaigns continue to make a real impact. 

People appreciate the tangible nature of print materials and tend to remember them more than online ads.  

While digital marketing will continue to evolve, print advertising isn’t going anywhere. Smart marketers will find ways to blend the strengths of print and digital to reach their audience effectively. 

The numbers show that print marketing is here to stay, offering a unique and enduring impact in today’s diverse marketing landscape. 

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